Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

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I can't hear the noise before 65 and after 70, regardless if the gas pedal is being pushed or not. I may hear the noise at lower speeds, but it isn't as loud than at 65-70. The dealer replaced the rear axle, and power takeoff unit. This seemed to fix the problem for ~1 week. I think the problem started recurring after I had to floor the gas pedal when getting on a highway.

With any vehicle, when you get a noise only at a certain speed, it's usually a tire that needs balancing. Your rear axle shouldn't be engaging at 65 mph anyway. That doesn't seem like anything they should have been looking at. If your rear axle is trying to engage, then it's something to do with whatever mechanism engages the AWD. Is that what the power takeoff unit is?

I just began having stalling problems with my Escape a few weeks ago (2001 XLT, 3.0-6, 58k). July 18th I was on the highway 75mph going up hill and the following occurred simultaneously: loss of power, engine rmps varying between 200-1500, overdrive light flashing, puttering engine sounds (coughing up a hairball maybe?). I slowed down (as if I had a choice) and pulled off the highway. As I came to a stop the vehicle shut off (breaks stiffened, lost power steering, ect). I restarted it and did not have another problem for 1 week. On July 25th I was on a different highway 65mph going uphill, then level, then downhill as my car lost power and died 3 times in a 5 mile stretch. The only difference was the o/d light did not flash. I took it to the Ford dealership and had them do the recall work on it that I had just found out about. July 31st 65mph level then 40 mph level then August 1st 35mph level then 40 mph level then 35mph level (o/d light is flashing again)... Guess I'll be at the Ford dealership tomorrow eh? I just hope the dam thing doesn't die in a bad situation. Question; could this be an electrical short/static charge on the PCM or with a fuel control module? The problem seems to reset itself, even if only for a short while, after engine shutdown (only one reset without needing to shut down so far). My biggest worry/odd thought is that no idiot lights come on and there is no fault record of the event in the computer so the problem must be outside of the normal engine fault sensors. I am just rambling now but any thoughts anyone? PCM still?

Had exactly the same problem. Dealership stated that there is a sensor inside the coolant reservoir that had been failing on more than a few Tribs.The entire coolant reservoir had to replaced as it was faster to remove that then to remove just the sensor and replace it. They replaced it under warranty. No problem since.

I have a 2001 Tribute with 70,000 miles. The coolant light is due to a bad sensor - mine was replaced under warranty. I still have the original Continental tires - still in decent shape, though I may replace before winter. The truck doesn't shake when shifting. However, the shudder has returned so it is time to replace the fluid again.

I have a '01 tribute es- 54,000 miles. My problem is that when I release my foot from the brake pedal I hear a hissing sound. I started noticing this problem about a month ago. Recently while getting recalls replaced I had them do the "mazda full service" check. They told me that I had less then 20% of pad left on my front brakes. I am not sure if this has anything to do with it but I have never heard of the pedal hissing just b/c of low pads. Any help you guys can give is appreciated!

I drive a 2004 Mazda, Tribute. It has approx. 6700 miles on it. I bought it new last October 28, 2003. I recently brought my car back to the dealership where purchased because the Idle was fluctuating (extremely) upon 1st start-up of the day (when the car is cold) and the V-Belt was making chatter/noise sounding like tapping or pinging. They replaced the IAC valve after having my car for 3 days. And also replace the Drive Belt Tensioner and V-Belt, AC. I took the car home and the very next day the same problem occured with the Idle, only the fluctuations are not as extreme. The noise was back with the V-Belt, AC. The car is back at the dealership and they have had it for a week. The Service manager is confounded because they can not identify what is wrong with the idle. I also told them about all the cabin noise and squeeking especially when taking corners. It sounds like wind and a lot of flexing is taking place...The manager told me they lubricated the door gaskets.???I have not picked up my car yet because they have not identified the idle problem on their second go around. He said it may be humidity affecting the idle. I say the car should not be temper mental in regards to weather unless a part is defective and being affected by moisture. I can't wait till this winter's snow. They also rotated my tires without telling me and checked my brakes without telling me. I noticed it on my receipt.???What's up with that. No report was issued...as customary. Because after they rotated my tires the car is really noisy and has a lousy ride. The manager told me there was uneven tire wear and that the tires needed to be balanced and rotated .??? I purchased a Mazda once again, my third one, because I never have problems with them. Please anyone any feedback on the idle, tires and cabin noise would be apprediated. Thank you DCG

Just received my 01 Escape back from Ford service today. I have 71,000 miles and have replaced the fluid twice once at around 30,000 miles and again around 60,000 miles for transmission shuddering. Unfortunately this time it came back again shortly after the second fluid change. Ford service department had to replace the torque convertor and if I had not had the 100,000 mile power train warranty it would have cost me three days for a rental and $800 for repair. Also replaced front wheel bearings back in June for front end whining, again covered under warranty. Thank goodness for warranties.

It sounds like you have an unusual problem. At least you know they are making an effort to correct it, even if they're so far unsuccessful. My advice would be to be patient and give them another chance or two to correct it; if they can't fix the original problem after three tries on a warranted vehicle, then you're eligible for Lemon Law compensation. Hopefully it won't come to that. And no, humidity should have no effect on a fluctutaing idle. He's probably just trying to come up with some type of stall tactic until they can figure out the real trouble.

1,500 miles on the vehicle & has done it since I got it....When the tranny kicks into 3rd gear I feel a little vibration & in 4th a little more pronounced...You feel it coming from under the vehicle & on the accelerator pedal......What do you think, bad torque converter??.....

Just realized that Ford only covers the powertrain under the 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, WHAT A JOKE......They must have alot of confidence in the durablity of their products....This is my 1st Ford purchase & will be my last unless it changes....Thank god it's paid for & won't put 36,000 miles on it in 3 years...After those 3 years I'll trade it in for a vehicle whose manufacturer backs up their products with a better warranty....

You definitely want to bring your Escape in for service. With only 1,500 miles you shouldn't be feeling any shuddering from your transmission. From what your describing it sounds exactly the same problem that I had. If you have no plans for keeping it after the 36 months you'll be all set, but if you do you may want to talk to your dealer about a 100,000 mile warranty. So far mine has paid for itself.

Hello! Just subscribed to this site because I wanted to share some of the issues I've had with my 03 Tribute over the past 18 months. No problems with the engine thankfully! Purchased the car in January of 03 and when summer rolled around realized the air conditioning was very musty smelling, especially when first turned on so I would have to turn the vents away from me and drive fast with the windows down to blow out the initial mustiness. When I brought it back the dealer told me it's the type of gas we have in Ohio. ??? Where they got that one is beyond me. They admitted they had those complaints before and "sprayed" the air conditioning and it helped initially but then was back to foul air within a couple of weeks. Also, free oil changes are nice if you can make it to the dealer M-F from 8 - 5, which I can't. My husband complained that the seat warmer on the passenger side went on by itself, which drove him crazy. Initially they told me they couldn't replicate the problem so they couldn't fix it. The next time I brought it in I asked them to look again. They explained that they get this complaint every couple of weeks. When anyone "large".. any typical man, gets into the car by sitting then swinging legs in, the bottom of the seat is pressed down onto the button turning the heater on. I'm having it disconnected next week. They can do that while they are taking the seats out to buff and seal the rusted metal runners and supports under the front passenger and drivers' side seats. Service told me they never see rust like that unless a car has been submerged. (Does this explain the musty air conditioning?). Just for the record, the district manager refused to cover new metal supports under the warranty but the dealer is trying to make the customer happy. This is not surface rust we're talking about.. So that's it! Overall I'm happy with the car. No mechanical problems yet!

"sprayed" the air conditioning and it helped initially but then was back to foul air within a couple of weeks.

It may take more than one spraying to get the job done. Actually, you can do it yourself for practically no cost. There was a post by another user on these boards who spelled out in detail how he did it but our software upgrade seems to have our search feature paralyzed at the moment. I think the recommendation was to spray Pine Sol into the air conditioner intakes - somewhere beneath your windshield wipers.

I also recommend turning off your air conditioning shortly before you turn off your engine (a minute or more).

You can also go to www.ford-trucks.com Then go to the forum for Ford Escape. There is a writeup and link titled "cab air filter" which details how to install a cabin air filter. There is a place for a filter but one is not installed when you buy a new Escape/Tribute

There were some problems with the early model Escape evaporator drains plugging up or collapsing; I can't remember what model years were affected. Anyway you might mention this to the SM next time you're in, just to see what they think.

Yes, but they were counting on the zero-zero-zero mess to bail them out of their previous problems, namely poor quality. Mitsu has been way behind the top Japanese marques in quality/reliability for a long time. And their products are neither sophisticated nor sporty; there really is no "Mitsubishi market." Longer warranties can actually spell disaster for a company incapable of building durable products. This 100k warranty craze is pretty curious when you consider that mostly companies with spotty quality histories are pushing them. Honda and Toyota haven't yet felt the need to match it: most of their products across the board still approximate the base warranties of their domestic competitors. It's ASSUMED their products are fairly reliable to 100K, and most loyal Honda/Toyota people are willing to pay an extra 10-20% retail for their vehicles up front with the understanding that they'll recoup their investment with lower long-term repair costs. Tripling these base warranties is expensive. I think it's actually another form of cynical short-term strategy: Lure buyers in with the feeling of security, create some cashflow, get your greasy mug on the cover of every business magazine as the next "Turnaround King," then high-tail it out of dodge (or Kia, whatever) with a sack of cash leaving your successor to deal with the millions of dollars of warranty repairs your company can't pay for. When those bills come due, it will be the buyer of the next-generation models expected to pay the extra cost of the company's new "upscale" models. Problem is that if the Kias, Suzukis, and Mitsus of the world haven't established quality reputations, customers will balk. "Why pay Honda prices for a Daewoo?" A lot of these borderliners will crash & burn. Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but every market has a saturation point.